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We are thrilled to announce that the LEI has received funding from UMASS Memorial for the Promotoras de Salud! This funding will help the Promotoras de Salud for the next 2-3 years achieve several goals: sharing health education in English and Spanish at Worcester Public Schools and community events, educating the public about nutritious food options, promoting healthy eating habits and their connection to learning, and facilitating access to government assistance for food insecurity.
Community Health Education at the Latino Education Institute focuses on improving the health and well-being of the Latino community in Worcester by addressing health disparities and social health determinants and by empowering this community with information and non-cost educational opportunities about healthy habits and the importance of the health-education nexus. This initiative involves communication with various community health organizations and a team of Promotores de Salud (Health Promoters) who engage with Worcester’s Latino community. Our Promotoras de Salud understand the environmental and social factors of the Latinx populations, thus providing culturally competent health education and advocacy. Their close connection with our urban communities in and around Worcester allows the Promotoras de Salud to link medical systems and healthcare services with the Latino community.
The Promotoras de Salud (Health Promoters) engage in many community activities promoting health and wellness. The Promotoras distribute information about nutrition, diabetes, hypertension, mental health, English as a Second Language (ESL) opportunities, and other topics at various city-wide community events, at Community Health Clinics, at Food Pantries, at The Green Island Neighborhood Center, at the Worcester Senior Center, and at Worcester Public School events. They often give workshops on such topics as diabetes and social emotional health. Summer activities include the Health and Wellness Series at the Park where the Promotoras foster exercise with hula hoops, walking, yoga and stretching routines and encourage participation from both young and old by doing a variety of craft projects such as painting rocks and potting plants. In partnership with Residents of The UMASS Chan Medical School during several trainings, they have also increased their knowledge about diabetes and blood pressure.
Between 2020 and September 2023, the LEI, in collaboration with Worcester Division of Public Health and UMASS Memorial Health, was actively involved in the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Initiative as a result of the COVID pandemic to address health inequities within the Latinx community. The initiative aimed to identify, reduce, and eliminate health disparities through a robust communications and street outreach plan. The REACH Initiative encompassed two sub-programs: Health Promoters or Promotoras de Salud and Health Ambassadors for COVID-19 & FLU education and vaccination.
In general, the REACH Initiative was centered around five main areas:
At the LEI of Worcester State University, we aim to effect change through expanding the body of knowledge on Massachusetts’ growing Latinx population by developing our research capacity. Our objectives include:
Voices of Latino parents and youth of Worcester Public Schools (2020)
Over a five-day period, LEI conducted interviews of parents, students, and community members to help understand what was important to include in the conversation around a new funding stream from the state to Worcester Public Schools through the Student Opportunity Act. The act provides an important opportunity to ensure equity, excellence and success for all communities.
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Worcester Mayoral Commission on Latino Education and Advancement (2019)
The Worcester Mayoral Commission on Latino Education and Advancement’s report A Way Forward: Latino Youth and Families in Worcester (2019), was the response to Worcester community concerns about opportunities for Latinx families and equity in education. Mayor Joseph Petty appointed Luis G. Pedraja and Mary Jo Marion to lead a multisector effort resulting in this report that includes actionable recommendations to achieve equity in Latinx education. Pedraja and Marion built a commission that integrated representatives from public schools, higher education, community-based organizations, and community leaders.
Study of Latino Male Education Outcomes (2016)
Rarely do studies look to the voices of youth to confront the struggles they face. This report captures the voices of young Latino males as they reflect upon their own experiences and perceptions—and struggles—with their educational trajectories and combines quantitative data to help reveal the challenges that Latinx males in urban Massachusetts face in pursuit of education and their imagined futures. The report suggests focusing on the early education experiences of Latino males and the value of early intervention to help improve pathways to college.
Not Present, Not Accounted For: School Suspensions in Worcester (2013)
This report examines out-of-school suspension data from the Worcester Public Schools and the issues of equity in the application of school discipline policies of exclusion and suspension as well as their disproportionate application to Latinx students. The report concludes that out-of-school suspensions do not improve safety of schools or the outcomes of students, are often not age appropriate and can be replaced by other methods of discipline for better outcomes.
Mayor’s Commission on Latino Educational Excellence (2011)
This report of the Commission for Latino Educational Excellence, in response to the Worcester mayor’s charge to study issues affecting the academic success of Latino children in the Worcester Public Schools, highlights the increasing numbers of Latinx students in the schools and their chronic educational underachievement as an urgent challenge for the community. The commission focused on the collection of local data, via community hearings, best practice research, and open, honest dialogue with the administration of the Worcester Public Schools, to identify strategies for improving educational outcomes for Latino students.
The Condition of Education for Latino Students in Springfield, MA (2009)
This report examines the socio-economic characteristics of the Latinx population in Worcester and the enrollment patterns and outcomes of Latino children in Worcester Public Schools. Data about the City of Worcester and the Worcester Public schools form a detailed picture of the situation with the goal of forming a basis for creating a coherent and deliberate strategy to improve the educational outcomes of Latino students.
